System And Method For Recovering Hydrocarbons From A Subsurface Formation That Minimizes Surface Disturbance

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a system and method for recovering hydrocarbons that minimize surface disturbance. The system includes an electrical heater within the subsurface formation that heats hydrocarbons within the subsurface formation and a heater wellbore within the subsurface formation that has been reclaimed for surface use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 62/024,360 filed 14 Jul. 2014 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FORRECOVERING HYDROCARBONS FROM A SUBSURFACE FORMATION THAT MINIMIZESSURFACE DISTURBANCE, the entirety of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

BACKGROUND

Fields of Disclosure

The disclosure relates generally to the field of hydrocarbon recoveryfrom subsurface formations and, more particularly, to systems andmethods for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation thatminimizes surface disturbance.

Description of Related Art

This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, whichmay be associated with the present disclosure. This discussion isbelieved to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a betterunderstanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure.Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read inthis light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.

Modern society is greatly dependent on the use of hydrocarbons for fuelsand chemical feedstocks. Subterranean formations that can be termed“reservoirs” may contain resources, such as hydrocarbons, that can berecovered. Removing hydrocarbons from the subterranean reservoirsdepends on numerous physical properties of the subterranean rockformations, such as the permeability of the rock containing thehydrocarbons, the ability of the hydrocarbons to flow through thesubterranean rock formations, and the proportion of hydrocarbonspresent, among other things.

Easily produced sources of hydrocarbons are dwindling, resulting inincreased reliance on less conventional sources (i.e., unconventionalresources) to satisfy future needs. Examples of unconventional resourcesmay include heavy oil, tar and oil shale. These unconventional sourcesmay complicate production of the hydrocarbons from the subterraneanformation. For example, a viscosity of the hydrocarbons may besufficiently high to prevent production (or at least economicalproduction) of the hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation and/orit may be desirable to change a chemical and/or physical composition(interchangeably referred to as chemical and/or physical property) ofthe hydrocarbons, such as by decreasing an average molecular weight ofthe hydrocarbons, prior to production of the hydrocarbons. To improveproduction, thermal processes may be used to recover unconventionalresources.

One challenge with recovering hydrocarbons from unconventional resourcesrelates to the tight well spacing required in some thermal processes.The development plan for unconventional resources may include a way toheat the subterranean reservoir in situ where the subterranean reservoirmay, for example, contain the oil sand, the oil shale or the tar.Heating the subterranean reservoir in situ may reduce a viscosity of thehydrocarbon within the subterranean reservoir. Heating the subterraneanreservoir in situ may induce in situ upgrading of the hydrocarbon sourceinto products that can be efficiently produced from the subterraneanreservoir. Heating the subterranean reservoir in situ may induce in situconversion of the hydrocarbon source into products that can beefficiently produced from the subterranean reservoir.

Many of the thermal processes cause surface disturbance. The surfacedisturbance can take the form of extensions of tubing, wire connections,well heads, instrumentation and/or post installation maintenance hubsabove the subsurface formation. The surface disturbance may make itdifficult to produce unconventional resources. For example, regulatorsmay not grant access to the unconventional resources if theunconventional resources are at locations with scenic value that areoccupied, and/or meant for future development. Once initial developmentof thermal processes is completed and production facilities areinstalled, incremental operations activity, such as infill drilling,well work and maintenance, may be inhibited by the presence of surfaceequipment, which causes surface disturbance, in place at the surfacelocation.

A need exists for improved technology, including technology that mayaddress one or more of the above described disadvantages. For example, aneed exists for systems and methods for recovering hydrocarbons, from asubsurface formation that minimizes surface disturbance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for recoveringhydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation, that minimize surfacedisturbance.

A system for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation, thatminimizes surface disturbance may comprise an electrical heater withinthe subsurface formation that heats hydrocarbons within the subsurfaceformation; and a heater wellbore within the subsurface formation thathas been reclaimed for surface use. A method for recoveringhydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation below a surface of the earth,that minimizes surface disturbance may comprise forming a heaterwellbore within the subsurface formation; placing an electrical heaterwithin the heater wellbore; reclaiming at least a portion of the heaterwellbore intersecting the surface of the subsurface formation; andcreating thermally-inducing changes within the subsurface formation.

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features of the presentdisclosure so that the detailed description that follows may be betterunderstood. Additional features will also be described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become apparent from the following description and theaccompanying drawings, which are described briefly below.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a system that minimizes surface disturbance.

FIG. 2 is a front view of section 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method.

It should be noted that the figures are merely examples and that nolimitations on the scope of the present disclosure are intended hereby.Further, the figures are generally not drawn to scale but are draftedfor the purpose of convenience and clarity in illustrating variousaspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of thedisclosure, reference will now be made to the features illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of thedisclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and furthermodifications, and any further applications of the principles of thedisclosure as described herein are contemplated as would normally occurto one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates. It will beapparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features thatare relevant to the present disclosure may not be shown in the drawingsfor the sake of clarity.

At the outset, for ease of reference, certain terms used in thisapplication and their meaning as used in this context are set forthbelow. To the extent a term used herein is not defined below, it shouldbe given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have giventhat term as reflected in at least one printed publication or issuedpatent. Further, the present processes are not limited by the usage ofthe terms shown below, as all equivalents, synonyms, new developmentsand terms or processes that serve the same or a similar purpose areconsidered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term “hydrocarbon” refers to an organic compoundthat includes primarily, if not exclusively, the elements hydrogen andcarbon. Hydrocarbons may also include other elements, such as, but notlimited to, halogens, metallic elements, nitrogen, oxygen, and/orsulfur. Hydrocarbons generally fall into two classes: aliphatic, orstraight chain hydrocarbons, and cyclic, or closed ring hydrocarbons,including cyclic terpenes. Examples of hydrocarbon-containing materialsinclude any form of natural gas, oil, coal, heavy oil and kerogen thatcan be used as a fuel or upgraded into a fuel.

As used herein, the “hydrocarbon-rich formation” refers to any formationthat contains more than trace amounts of hydrocarbons. For example, ahydrocarbon-rich formation may include portions that containhydrocarbons at a level of greater than 5 percent by volume. Thehydrocarbons located in a hydrocarbon-rich formation may include, forexample, oil, natural gas, heavy hydrocarbons, and solid hydrocarbons.

As used herein, the terms “produced fluids” and “production fluids”refer to liquids and/or gases removed from a subsurface formation,including, for example, an organic-rich rock formation. Produced fluidsmay include both hydrocarbon fluids and non-hydrocarbon fluids.Production fluids may include, but are not limited to, liquids and/orgases originating from pyrolysis of oil shale, natural gas, synthesisgas, a pyrolysis product of coal, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide andwater (including steam).

As used herein, the term “fluid” refers to gases, liquids, andcombinations of gases and liquids, as well as to combinations of gasesand solids, and combinations of liquids and solids.

As used herein, the term “formation hydrocarbons” refers to both lightand/or heavy hydrocarbons and solid hydrocarbons that are contained inan organic-rich rock formation. Formation hydrocarbons may be, but arenot limited to, natural gas, oil, kerogen, oil shale, coal, tar, naturalmineral waxes, and asphaltenes.

As used herein, the term “gas” refers to a fluid that is in its vaporphase at 1 atmosphere (atm) and 15 degrees Celsius (° C.).

As used herein, the term “kerogen” refers to a solid, insolublehydrocarbon that may principally contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen,oxygen, and/or sulfur.

As used herein, the term “oil” refers to a hydrocarbon fluid containingprimarily a mixture of condensable hydrocarbons.

As used herein, the term “oil shale” refers to any fine-grained,compact, sedimentary rock containing organic matter made up mostly ofkerogen, a high-molecular weight solid or semi-solid substance that isinsoluble in petroleum solvents and is essentially immobile in its rockmatrix.

As used herein, the term “organic-rich rock” refers to any rock matrixholding solid hydrocarbons and/or heavy hydrocarbons. Rock matrices mayinclude, but are not limited to, sedimentary rocks, shales, siltstones,sands, silicilytes, carbonates, and diatomites. Organic-rich rock maycontain kerogen.

As used herein, the term “organic-rich rock formation” refers to anyformation containing organic-rich rock. Organic-rich rock formationsinclude, for example, oil shale formations, coal formations, tar sandsformations or other formation hydrocarbons.

As used herein, “overburden” refers to the material overlying asubterranean reservoir. The overburden may include rock, soil,sandstone, shale, mudstone, carbonate and/or ecosystem above thesubterranean reservoir. During surface mining the overburden is removedprior to the start of mining operations. The overburden may refer toformations above or below free water level. The overburden may includezones that are water saturated, such as fresh or saline aquifers. Theoverburden may include zones that are hydrocarbon bearing.

As used herein, “permeability” is the capacity of a rock to transmitfluids through the interconnected pore spaces of the structure. Acustomary unit of measurement for permeability is the milliDarcy (mD).The term “absolute permeability” is a measure for transport of aspecific, single-phase fluid through a specific portion of a formation.The term “relative permeability” is defined for relative flow capacitywhen one or more fluids or one or more fluid phases may be presentwithin the pore spaces, in which the interference between the differentfluid types or phases competes for transport within the pore spaceswithin the formation. The different fluids present within the porespaces of the rock may include water, oil and gases of variouscompositions. Fluid phases may be differentiated as immiscible fluids,partially miscible fluids and vapors. The term “low permeability” isdefined, with respect to subsurface formations or portions of subsurfaceformations, as an average permeability of less than about 10 mD.

As used herein, the term “porosity,” refers to the percent volume ofpore space in a rock. Porosity is a measure of the rock's storagecapacity for fluids. Porosity may be determined from cores, sonic logs,density logs, neutron logs or resistivity logs. Total or absoluteporosity includes all the pore spaces, whereas effective porosityincludes only the interconnected pores.

As used herein, the term “pyrolysis” refers to the breaking of chemicalbonds through the application of heat. For example, pyrolysis mayinclude transforming a compound into one or more other substances byheat alone or by heat in combination with an oxidant. Pyrolysis mayinclude modifying the nature of the compound by addition of hydrogenatoms which may be obtained from molecular hydrogen, water, carbondioxide, or carbon monoxide. Heat may be transferred to a section of theformation to cause pyrolysis.

As used herein, “reservoir” or “subterranean reservoir” is a subsurfacerock or sand formation from which a production fluid or resource can beharvested. The rock formation may include sand, granite, silica,carbonates, clays, and organic matter, such as oil shale, light or heavyoil, gas, or coal, among others. Reservoirs can vary in thickness fromless than one foot (0.3048 meter (m)) to hundreds of feet (hundreds ofmeters).

As used herein, the term “solid hydrocarbons” refers to any hydrocarbonmaterial that is found naturally in substantially solid form atformation conditions. Non-limiting examples include kerogen, coal,shungites, asphaltites, and natural mineral waxes.

As used herein “subsurface formation” refers to the material existingbelow the Earth's surface. The subsurface formation may interchangeablybe referred to as a formation or a subterranean formation. Thesubsurface formation may comprise a range of components, e.g. mineralssuch as quartz, siliceous materials such as sand and clays, as well asthe oil and/or gas that is extracted.

As used herein, “substantial” when used in reference to a quantity oramount of a material, or a specific characteristic of the material,refers to an amount that is sufficient to provide an effect that thematerial or characteristic was intended to provide. The exact degree ofdeviation allowable may in some cases depend on the specific context.

As used herein, the term “tar” refers to a viscous hydrocarbon thatgenerally has a viscosity greater than about 10,000 centipoise (cP) at15° C. The specific gravity of tar generally is greater than 1.000. Tarmay have an American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity less than 10degrees. “Tar sands” refers to a formation that has tar in it Incontrast, light oil may have a viscosity less than 10 cP; medium oil andheavy oil may have a viscosity of 10 cP and greater, up to or exceeding10,000 cP.

As used herein, “underburden” refers to the material underlaying asubterranean reservoir. The underburden may include rock, soil,sandstone, shale, mudstone, wet/tight carbonate and/or ecosystem belowthe subterranean reservoir.

As used herein, “wellbore” is a hole in the subsurface formation made bydrilling or inserting a conduit into the subsurface. A wellbore may havea substantially circular cross section or any other cross-section shape,such as an oval, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or other regular orirregular shapes. The term “well,” when referring to an opening in theformation, may be used interchangeably with the term “wellbore.”Further, multiple pipes may be inserted into a single wellbore, forexample, as a liner configured to allow flow from an outer chamber to aninner chamber.

As used herein, the term “coupled” means the joining of two membersdirectly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary ormoveable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members orthe two members and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two membersor the two members and any additional intermediate members beingattached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or maybe removable or releasable in nature.

As used herein, “electrical cable” is an assembly of electricalconductors and insulators that provide an electrical connection wherethe electrical cable includes the electrical conductors and insulators.The electrical cable permits the flow of electrical current in one ormore directions.

As used herein, “conductor” is an object or type of material thatpermits the flow of electrical current in one or more directions. Theconductor may be a positive conductor when it connects to a potentialhigher than zero, i.e., the voltage of a common ground. in thisdisclosure, positive conductors are said to have a positive charge. Theconductor may be a negative conductor when it connects to a potentiallower than zero. In this description, negative conductors are said tohave a negative charge.

As used herein, “wire” is an electrical conductor surrounded by aninsulator. Wires are typically used to transmit relatively low-voltagesignals, such as electrical measurement signals. The wire may beinstalled within an electrical cable. Multiple wires may be installedwithin an electrical cable.

As used herein, “electrical pathway” refers to a path that permits theflow of electrical current in one or more directions. Consequently, theelectrical pathways may transmit power. An electrical cable has anelectrical pathway. A wire has an electrical pathway.

The articles “the”, “a” and “an” are not necessarily limited to meanonly one, but rather are inclusive and open ended so as to include,optionally, multiple such elements.

“At least one,” in reference to a list of one or more entities should beunderstood to mean at least one entity selected from any one or more ofthe entity in the list of entities, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every entity specifically listed within the listof entities and not excluding any combinations of entities in the listof entities. This definition also allows that entities may optionally bepresent other than the entities specifically identified within the listof entities to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those entities specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) mayrefer, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no Bpresent (and optionally including entities other than B); to at leastone, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (andoptionally including entities other than A); to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other entities). In other words,the phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at leastone of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” may mean A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, A, B and C together, andoptionally any of the above in combination with at least one otherentity.

The disclosure relates to systems and methods (FIGS. 1-4) for recoveringhydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation 101, that minimizes surfacedisturbance. FIGS. 1-4 of the disclosure display various aspects of thesystems and methods.

The systems 100 and methods may include an electrical heater 102. Theelectrical heater 102 may be within the subsurface formation 101. Theelectrical heater 102 may heat hydrocarbons within the subsurfaceformation. The electrical heater 102 may heat hydrocarbons by generatingheat 201 (FIG. 3). The electrical heater 102 may generate heat whenpower transmitted to the electrical heater 102, 202 (FIG. 3) reaches theelectrical heater 102. The subsurface formation 101 may comprise anoverburden 150, a subterranean reservoir 151, and an underburden 152.The hydrocarbons may be within the subterranean reservoir 151.

The electrical heater 102 may be any suitable electrical heater thatrequires electrical power. Examples of electrical heaters include, butare not limited to, a heating device 109 (FIG. 1).

The electrical heater 102 may comprise electrical heaters. Each of theelectrical heaters 102 requires electrical power to generate heat. Theelectrical heaters 102 may be controlled as a system or independently,based on the method described, including, but not limited to initiating,terminating or adjusting power transmission to one or more of theelectrical heaters 102. The power transmitted may be defined as anycomponent of energy, such as but not limited to magnitude or frequency.Power transmission adjustments can include either magnitude (typicalunits are Watts) or frequency (typical units are Hertz).

The systems 100 and methods may include a heater wellbore 120 within thesubsurface formation 101. The heater wellbore 120 may be formed in thesubsurface formation 101, 401 (FIG. 4). At least a portion of the heaterwellbore 120 may be reclaimed 403 (FIG. 4). The at least the portion ofthe heater wellbore 120 may intersect a surface 1000 of the subsurfaceformation. The surface 1000 may be the Earth's surface. After the atleast the portion of heater wellbore 120 has been reclaimed, theelectrical heater 102 may heat the subsurface formation 101. The heaterwellbore 120 may be a wellbore that has been reclaimed so that theheater wellbore 120 minimizes surface disturbance, 403 (FIG. 4). Theheater wellbore 120 may be reclaimed by shutting in the heater wellbore.

The heater wellbore 120 may not be flush with the surface 1000 (FIG. 1)of the subsurface formation 101. The heater wellbore 120 may becompletely within the subsurface formation 101. The heater wellbore 120may comprise a heater wellbore topmost portion 1001 and a heaterwellbore bottommost portion 1002. The heater wellbore topmost portion1001 may be closer to the surface 1000 of the subsurface formation 101than the heater wellbore bottommost portion 1002. The heater wellboretopmost portion 1001 and the heater wellbore bottommost portion 1002 maybe completely within the subsurface formation 101.

The electrical heater 102 may be within the heater wellbore 120. Theelectrical heater 102 may be placed within the heater wellbore 120, 402(FIG. 4). The electrical heater 102 may be placed within the heaterwellbore 120 before heating hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons may be heatedduring and/or after the electrical heater 102 generates heat. All or atleast a first portion of the electrical heater 102 may be within theheater wellbore 120. If only the first portion of the electrical heater102 is within the heater wellbore 120, a second portion of theelectrical heater 102 may be outside of the electrical heater 102. Thesecond portion of the electrical heater 102 may be within the subsurfaceformation 101. The electrical heater 102 within the heater wellbore 120may comprise one or more electrical heaters so that, for example but notlimited to, electrical heaters 102 may be within the heater wellbore120.

The heater wellbore 120 may interchangeably be referred to as a firstwellbore or a second wellbore, etc. The heater wellbore 120 may not beconfigured to produce the hydrocarbons. The heater wellbore 120 may be acaseless wellbore (i.e., uncased wellbore) or wellbore comprising acasing.

The systems 100 and methods may include heater sensors 212. The heatersensors 212 may help detect an electrical heater performance of anelectrical heater 102. At least one of the heater sensors 212 may becoupled to a respective one of the electrical heaters 102. The amount ofheater sensors 212 coupled to a respective one of the electrical heatersmay include a number within and bounded by the preceding range of heatersensors 212.

Each of the heater sensors 212 may be configured to detect a heatercharacteristic of the one of the electrical heaters 102 to which it iscoupled. If multiple heater sensors are coupled to an electrical heater,one or more of the heater sensors may determine a different heatercharacteristic than the rest of the heater sensors. The heater sensor212 may be a sensor that can detect a heater characteristic. The heatercharacteristic may be any suitable heater characteristic. For example,the heater characteristic may comprise one of temperature, voltage,current, electrical resistance and impedance.

The systems 100 and methods may include a first local electrical room125. The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to detectdeviations in heater performance within each of the electrical heaters102 based on a heater characteristic of the respective electricalheaters. The first local electrical room 125 may detect deviation inheater performance by determining whether each of the electrical heaters102 is operating within a target operating heater range based on theheater characteristics of each of the electrical heaters 102. The targetoperating heater range is the range of suitable numerical values for theheater characteristic of an electrical heater that shows the electricalheater is operating within design limits. The target operating heaterrange may be a range of heater characteristics from a desired operatingheater characteristic of a given electrical heater 102.

The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to detect whethereach of the heater characteristics for each of the electrical heaters102 is within a target expected heater range. The target expected heaterrange may be the heater characteristic expected for the amount of powertransmitted to the electrical heater. The target expected heater rangediffers from the target operating heater range in that the targetexpected heater range is intended to help determine whether the heaterresponse to a given signal or power input is as expected while thetarget operating heater range is intended to define the operatingconstraints of the electrical heater by which the electrical heater doesnot fail. The target operating heater range and the target expectedheater range can vary over time.

The first local electrical room 125 may compare the heatercharacteristic detected by a heater sensor 212 to the target operatingheater range to determine whether the heater characteristic is withinthe target operating heater range. If the heater characteristic detectedis within the target operating heater range, the first local electricalroom 125 detects that the heater has not failed. If the heatercharacteristic detected is outside of the target operating heater range,the first local electrical room 125 detects that there may be a heaterfailure in one of the electrical heaters 102. If the heater failure isdetected, the first local electrical room 125 may be configured toredistribute power transmitted from the failed electrical heater toanother electrical heater, such as from a first electrical heater to asecond electrical heater, etc. The another electrical heater is separatefrom the failed electrical heater.

The first local electrical room 125 may compare the heatercharacteristic detected by a heater sensor 212 to the target expectedheater range to determine whether the heater characteristic is withinthe target expected heater range. If the heater characteristic is withinthe target expected heater range, the first local electrical room 125detects that the heater characteristic is within the range of heatercharacteristics expected for the amount of power being transmitted tothe electrical heater. If the heater characteristic detected is outsideof the target expected heater range, the first local electrical room 125detects that the amount of power being transmitted to the electricalheater is too much or insufficient, if the amount of power beingtransmitted to the electrical heater is too much or insufficient, thefirst local electrical room 125 is configured to correct the amount ofpower being transmitted to the electrical heater by decreasing theamount of power or by increasing the amount of power.

The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to detect andadjust power transmission to the electrical heater 102 during atransient period, such as initial startup of the electrical heater.During the transient period, the target operating heater range and thetarget expected heater range can be variable and either or both rangesmay be used to actively control transmission of power to an electricalheater 102. In the example of initial startup, power may be transmittedto the electrical heater 102 until heater behavior is stabilized.Stabilization can occur when one or more heater characteristics reach astable operating level for a given power transmitted to the electricalheater 102. The target operating heater range and target expected heaterrange can be adjusted continuously or in staged increments during heatertransient periods. The heater operations can reach a target,steady-state level when heater characteristics and target expectedheater range reach predetermined steady-state values.

The first local electrical room 125 may comprise a first localdistribution circuit 115 and a first data acquisition system 105. Thefirst local distribution circuit 115 and the first data acquisitionsystem 105 may make it possible for the first local electrical room 125to detect deviations in heater characteristics. The first localdistribution circuit 115 and the first data acquisition system 105 maymake it possible for the first local electrical room 125 to determinewhether a heater characteristic is within the target expected heaterrange. The first local distribution circuit 115 may include powerhardware of the first local electrical room 125. Examples of powerhardware include, but are not limited to, a circuit breaker and a relay.The first data acquisition system 105 may include data acquisitionhardware and power software of the first local electrical room 102. Thedata acquisition hardware and power software may make it possible forthe first local electrical room 125 to detect the heatercharacteristics. The data acquisition hardware and power software maymake it possible for the first local electrical room 125 to analyze theheater characteristics detected to determine whether there is deviationin a heater's performance. The data acquisition hardware and powersoftware may make it possible for the first local electrical room 125 toanalyze the heater characteristics detected to determine whether theheater characteristic detected is within the target operating heaterrange. The data acquisition hardware and power software may make itpossible for the first local electrical room 125 to adjust powerdistribution to one or more heaters in response to detected deviationsin heater performance. The data acquisition hardware and power softwaremay make it possible for the first local electrical room 125 to analyzea heater characteristic detected to determine whether the heatercharacteristic detected is within the target expected heater range.

If deviation in heater performance is detected in which a heatercharacteristic is outside of the target operating heater range, thefirst data acquisition system 105 may send a signal to the first localdistribution circuit 115 to switch power transmitted from the failedelectrical heater to another cable within the electrical heater or toanother electrical heater. By switching power transmitted from thefailed electrical heater to another electrical heater, the failedelectrical heater no longer receives power. Instead, another electricalheater may receive power. The process of the first local electrical room125 detecting a heater failure may continue for the other electricalcable 103 and the other electrical heater 102 and so on. If it isdetected that the heater characteristic detected by the heater sensor212 is within the target expected heater range, the first dataacquisition system 105 may not send a signal to the first localdistribution circuit 115 to switch power from the electrical heaterbeing powered to the other electrical heater.

If it is detected that the heater characteristic is within the targetexpected heater range, the first data acquisition system 105 may notmodify a signal sent to the first local distribution circuit 115. If itis detected that the heater characteristic is outside of the targetexpected heater range, the first data acquisition system 105 may modifythe signal sent to the first local distribution circuit 115. The signalmay be modified to increase the power sent or to decrease the power sentto the electrical heater if the heater characteristic is below thetarget expected heater range or above the target expected heater range,according to the control system design. The signal may be modified toincrease or decrease other inputs to the heater, according to thecontrol system design, such as the frequency or magnitude in which thepower is transmitted.

At least a substantial portion of the first local electrical room 125may be within the subsurface formation 101. The substantial portion maybe within the subsurface formation 101 to help minimize surfacedisturbance. An access point to the first local electrical room 125 maybe the portion of the first local electrical room 125 outside of thesubsurface formation or within the subsurface formation 101 but close tothe surface of the subsurface formation 101 such that the first localelectrical room 125 is easily accessible to an operator. All (i.e., anentirety of) of the first local electrical room 125 may be within thesubsurface formation 101.

The electrical cable 103 may be substantially within the subsurfaceformation 101. The electrical cable 103 may be substantially within thesubsurface formation such that a substantial portion of the electricalcables 103 is within the subsurface formation 101. The substantialportion may extend within the subsurface formation 101 from theelectrical heater 102 such that a first end 190, 191 of the electricalcables 103 connects to the electrical heater 102. The substantialportion being within the subsurface formation 101 minimizes the surfacedisturbances that would otherwise be caused by the electrical cables 103if the substantial portion was not within the subsurface formation 101.An entirety of the electrical cables 103 may be within the subsurfaceformation 101.

The electrical cable 103 may comprise greater than or equal to oneelectrical cable. The amount of electrical cables 103 may be any amountwithin and bounded by the preceding range. Each of the electrical cables103 may be separate from the other electrical cables 103. Only one ofthe electrical cables 103 may transmit power to the electrical heater102 at a time. In other words, if a first electrical cable 103 transmitspower to the electrical heater 102, a second electrical cable 103 and soon may not transmit power to the electrical heater 102; if the secondelectrical cable 103 transmits power to the electrical heater 102, thefirst electrical cable 103 may not transmit power to the electricalheater 102.

The systems 100 and methods may include electrical pathways 103, 106,116, 126 that are configured to transmit power to the electrical heaters102. Each of the electrical cables 103 may comprise one of theelectrical pathways. For example, a first electrical cable 103 maycomprise a first cable electrical pathway 103 of the electricalpathways, a second electrical cable 103 may comprise a second cableelectrical pathway 103 of the electrical pathways, etc.

The electrical pathways 103 may transmit power to the electrical heaters102, 202 (FIG. 3). The electrical pathways 103 may be substantiallywithin the subsurface formation 101. The electrical pathways 103 may besubstantially within the subsurface formation such that a substantialportion of the electrical pathways 103 is within the subsurfaceformation 101. The substantial portion being within the subsurfaceformation 101 minimizes the surface disturbances that would otherwise becaused by the electrical pathways 103 if the substantial portion was notwithin the subsurface formation 101. An entirety of the electricalpathways 103 may be within the subsurface formation 101.

Pathway sensors may be coupled to the electrical cable 103.Specifically, at least one pathway sensor may be coupled to theelectrical cable 103. The amount of pathway sensors coupled to a givenelectrical cable may include any number of pathway sensors within andbounded by the preceding range. For example, the pathway sensors maycomprise a first cable sensor 121, that is coupled to the firstelectrical cable 103, and a second cable sensor 122, that is coupled tothe second electrical cable 103. The pathway sensors detect pathwaycharacteristics of the electrical cables 103, 203 (FIG. 3). For example,the first cable sensor 121 may detect a first cable pathwaycharacteristic of the first electrical cable 103; the second cablesensor 122 may detect a second cable pathway characteristic of thesecond electrical cable 103. If multiple pathway sensors are coupled toan electrical cable, one or more of the pathway sensors may determine adifferent pathway characteristic than the rest of the pathway sensors.

The pathway characteristics may comprise any suitable characteristics.For example, each of the pathway characteristics may comprise one oftemperature, voltage, current electrical resistance, and impedance.

The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to (i) detect apathway error within the electrical pathways 103 based on pathwaycharacteristics of pathway sensors 121, 122 and (ii) correct the pathwayerror by switching power transmitted from a first one of the electricalpathways 103 to a second one of the electrical pathways 103 (FIGS. 1-2).The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to detect thepathway error of the power transmitted to the electrical heater 102, 204(FIG. 3). The first local electrical room 125 may detect the pathwayerror of the power transmitted to the electrical heater 102. bydetermining whether each of the pathway characteristics is operatingwithin a target operating pathway characteristic range based on thepathway characteristics of each of the electrical pathways 103. Morespecifically, the first local electrical room 125 may detect the pathwayerror within a given electrical pathway based on that electricalpathway's pathway characteristic. For example, the first localelectrical room 125 may be configured to detect the pathway error withinat least one of a first electrical pathway of a first electrical cablebased on the first cable pathway characteristic of the first electricalcable and a second electrical pathway of a second electrical cable basedon a second cable pathway characteristic of the second electrical cable.The target operating pathway characteristic range is the range ofsuitable numerical values for the pathway characteristic of anelectrical pathway that shows the electrical pathway 103 of theelectrical cable 103, 104 has not failed. The target operating pathwaycharacteristic range may be a range of pathway characteristics from adesired operating pathway characteristic of a given electrical pathwayof an electrical cable 103.

The first electric room 125 may be configured to detect whether each ofthe pathway characteristics is within a target expected pathwaycharacteristic range. The target expected pathway characteristic rangeis the pathway characteristic expected for the amount of powertransmitted from a given electrical pathway to an electrical heater 102.The target expected pathway characteristic range differs from the targetoperating pathway characteristic range in that the target expectedpathway characteristic range is intended to help determine whether agiven signal is being transmitted by a given electrical pathway 103 ofan electrical cable 103 while the target operating pathwaycharacteristic range is intended to define the operating constraints ofa given electrical pathway of an electrical cable 103 by whichelectrical cable 103 does not fail.

The first local electrical room 125 may compare the pathwaycharacteristic detected by a pathway sensor 108, 118 to the targetoperating pathway characteristic range to determine whether the pathwaycharacteristic is within the target operating pathway characteristicrange. If the pathway characteristic detected is within the targetoperating pathway characteristic range, the first local electrical room125 detects that there is no pathway error. If the pathwaycharacteristic detected is outside of the target operating pathwaycharacteristic range, the first local electrical room 125 detects thatthere is a pathway error. If the pathway error is detected the firstlocal electrical room 125 is configured to correct the pathway error byswitching power transmitted from the electrical pathway with the pathwayerror to another electrical pathway that is separate from the electricalpathway with the pathway error. By switching power transmitted from theelectrical pathway with the pathway error to the other electricalpathway, the power transmitted is switched from being transmitted via afirst one of the electrical cables to a second one of the electricalcables, 205 (FIG. 3). The first one of the electrical cables includesthe electrical pathway with the error; the second one of the electricalcables includes the other of the electrical pathways.

The first local electrical room 125 may compare the pathwaycharacteristic detected to the target expected pathway characteristicrange to determine whether the pathway characteristic is within thetarget expected pathway characteristic range. If the pathwaycharacteristic is within the target expected pathway characteristicrange, the first local electrical room 125 detects that the pathwaycharacteristic is the pathway characteristic expected for the amount ofpower being sent to the electrical heater via the given electricalpathway of an electrical cable. If the pathway characteristic detectedis outside of the target expected pathway characteristic range, thefirst local electrical room 125 detects that the amount of power beingsent to the electrical heater is too much or insufficient. If the amountof power being sent to the electrical heater is too much orinsufficient, the first local electrical room 125 is configured tocorrect the amount of power being sent to the electrical heater bydecreasing the amount of power or by increasing the amount of powersent.

As previously discussed, the first local electrical room 125 maycomprise the first local distribution circuit 115 and the first dataacquisition system 105. The first local distribution circuit 115 and thefirst data acquisition system 105 may make it possible for the firstlocal electrical room 125 to detect the pathway error. The first localdistribution circuit 115 and the first data acquisition system 105 maymake it possible for the first local electrical room 125 to determinewhether a pathway characteristic is within the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range. The power software of the first data acquisitionsystem 105 may make it possible for the first local electrical room 125to analyze the pathway characteristics detected by the pathway sensors121, 122 to determine whether there is a pathway error. The powersoftware may make it possible for the first local electrical room 125 toanalyze the pathway characteristics detected by the pathway sensors 121,122 to determine whether the pathway characteristic detected by thepathway sensor 121, 122 is within the target operating pathwaycharacteristic range. The power software may make it possible for thefirst local electrical room 125 to correct the pathway error. The powersoftware may make it possible for the first local electrical room 125 toanalyze a pathway characteristic detected by a pathway sensor 121, 122to determine whether the pathway characteristic detected by the pathwaysensor 121, 122 is within the target expected pathway characteristicrange.

If the pathway error is detected, the first data acquisition system 105may send a signal to the first local distribution circuit 115 to switchpower from the electrical cable with the pathway error to anotherelectrical cable, such as for example but not limited to from a firstelectrical cable to a second electrical cable. By switching power fromthe electrical cable with the pathway error to the other electricalcable, the electrical cable with the pathway error no longer receivespower. Instead, the other electrical cable may receive power. Theprocess of the first local electrical room 125 detecting a pathway errormay continue for the other electrical cable and so on. If it is detectedthat the pathway characteristic detected by the pathway sensor 121, 122is within the target expected pathway characteristic range, the firstdata acquisition system 105 may not send a signal to the first localdistribution circuit 115 to switch power from the electrical cable beingpowered to the other electrical cable.

If it is detected that the pathway characteristic is within the targetexpected pathway characteristic range, the first data acquisition system105 may not modify a signal sent to the first local distribution circuit115. If it is detected that the pathway characteristic is outside of thetarget expected pathway characteristic range, the first data acquisitionsystem 105 may modify the signal sent to the first local distributioncircuit 115. The signal may be modified to increase the power sent or todecrease the power via the electrical cable to the electrical heater ifthe pathway characteristic is below the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range or above the target expected pathway characteristicrange, respectively.

Each electrical cable 103 may comprise a first wire 106, a second wire116 and a third wire 126. The first wire 106 may have a positive charge.The second wire 116 may have a negative charge. The third wire 126 maybe a redundant wire that can have a positive charge or a negativecharge. At any given time, two of the first wire 106, the second wire116 and the third wire 126 may transmit power to the electrical heater102 at a time. Two of the wires transmit power to the electrical heater102 at a time because the electrical heater 102 needs to receive apositive charge and a negative charge to be powered.

The wires 106, 116, 126 may transmit the power via electrical pathways.Each of the wires 106, 116, 126 includes an electrical pathway. Forexample, the first wire 106 may include a first wire electrical pathway,the second wire 116 may include a second wire electrical pathway and thethird wire 126 may include a third wire electrical pathway. Theelectrical pathways may transmit the positive or negative charge of thewire to the electrical heater 102. For example, the first wire 106 maytransmit the positive charge to the electrical heater 102 via the firstwire electrical pathway and the second wire 116 may transmit thenegative charge to the electrical heater 102 via the second wireelectrical pathway.

Each of the wires 106, 116, 126 may be coupled to at least one pathwaysensor 108, 118, 128. The amount of pathway sensors coupled to each ofthe wires 106, 116, 126 may include any number within or bounded by thepreceding range. In some instances, the wires 106, 116 126 may includemore than one pathway sensor to help detect a pathway characteristic ofa given wire. For example, the pathway sensors may comprise a first wiresensor and a second wire sensor coupled to the first wire 106, a thirdwire sensor and a fourth wire sensor coupled to the second wire 116, anda fifth wire sensor and a sixth wire sensor coupled to the third wire126. If multiple sensors are coupled to a wire, the sensors may belocated at different locations along the wire. For example, one of thesensors may be located at a first end of the wire and another of thesensors may be located at a second end of the wire that is diametricallyopposed to the location of the one of the sensors. If multiple pathwaysensors are coupled to a wire, one or more of the pathway sensors maydetermine a different pathway characteristic than the res-t of thepathway sensors.

The pathway sensors detect the pathway characteristics of the wireswithin the electrical cables, 203 (FIG. 3). For example, the first wiresensor 108 may detect a first wire pathway characteristic of the firstwire 106, the second wire sensor 118 may detect a second wire pathwaycharacteristic of the second wire 116 and the third wire sensor 128 maydetect a third wire pathway characteristic of the third wire 126. Thepathway characteristics may comprise any suitable characteristics. Forexample, each of the pathway characteristics may comprise one oftemperature, voltage, current, electrical resistance and impedance.

The first local electrical room 125 may be configured to (i) detect apathway error within the wires 106, 116, 126 based on pathwaycharacteristics of pathway sensors 108, 118, 128 and (ii) correct thepathway error by switching power transmitted from a first one of theelectrical pathways 106, 116, 126 to a second one of the electricalpathways 106, 116, 126 (FIGS. 1-2). The first local electrical room 125may be configured to detect the pathway error by determining whethereach of the pathway characteristics is operating within a targetoperating pathway characteristic range, 204 (FIG. 3) based on thepathway characteristics of each of the electrical pathways 103, 104.More specifically, the first local electrical room 125 may be configuredto detect the pathway error within a given wire within an electricalcable based on that wire's pathway characteristic. For example, thefirst local electrical room 125 may be configured to detect the pathwayerror within a first wire based on the first wire pathway characteristicof the first wire, a second wire based on a second wire pathwaycharacteristic of the second wire, and a third wire based on a thirdwire pathway characteristic of the third wire. The target operatingpathway characteristic range is the range of suitable numerical valuesfor the pathway characteristic of an electrical pathway that shows thewire 106, 116, 126 has not failed. The target operating pathwaycharacteristic range may be a range of pathway characteristics from adesired operating pathway characteristic of a given wire 106, 116, 126.

The first electric room 125 may be configured to detect whether each ofthe pathway characteristics is within a target expected pathwaycharacteristic range. The target expected pathway characteristic rangeis the pathway characteristic expected for the amount of powertransmitted from a given electrical pathway of a wire 106, 116, 126 toan electrical heater 102. The target expected pathway characteristicrange differs from the target operating pathway characteristic range inthat the target expected pathway characteristic range is intended tohelp determine whether a given signal is being transmitted by a givenwire 106, 116, 126 while the target operating pathway characteristicrange is intended to outline what the operating constraints are of agiven wire 106, 116, 126 without that wire 106, 116, 126 failing.

As previously discussed, the first local electrical room 125 may comparethe pathway characteristic detected to the target operating pathwaycharacteristic range to determine whether the pathway characteristic iswithin the target operating pathway characteristic range. If the pathwaycharacteristic detected is within the target operating pathwaycharacteristic range, the first local electrical room 125 detects thatthere is no pathway error within a wire. If the pathway characteristicdetected is outside of the target operating pathway characteristicrange, the first local electrical room 125 detects that there is apathway error within the wire. If the pathway error is detected, thefirst local electrical room 125 is configured to correct the pathwayerror by switching power transmitted from the electrical pathway withthe pathway error to another electrical pathway that is separate fromthe electrical pathway with the pathway error. In other words, if thepathway error is detected in a first wire 106 and not a second wire 116,the first local electrical room 125 is configured to correct the pathwayerror by switching power transmitted via the first wire 106 to the thirdwire 126 so that the second wire 116 and the third wire 126 can transmitpower to the electrical heater 102. If the first wire 106 has a positivecharge and the second wire 116 has a negative charge, the third wirewill transmit a positive charge after the transmission of power isswitched from the first wire to the third wire.

As previously discussed, the first local electrical room 125 may comparethe pathway characteristic detected to the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range to determine whether the pathway characteristic iswithin the target expected pathway characteristic range. If the pathwaycharacteristic is within the target expected pathway characteristicrange, the first local electrical room 125 detects that the pathwaycharacteristic is the pathway characteristic expected for the amount ofpower being sent to the electrical heater via the given wire. If thepathway characteristic detected is outside of the target expectedpathway characteristic range, the first local electrical room 125detects that the amount of power being sent to the electrical heater viathe given wire is too much or insufficient. If the amount of power beingsent to the electrical heater is too much or insufficient, the firstlocal electrical room 125 is configured to correct the amount of powerbeing sent to the electrical heater by decreasing the amount of power orby increasing the amount of power.

As previously discussed, the first local electrical room 125 maycomprise the first local distribution circuit 115 and the first dataacquisition system 105. The first local electrical room 125 and firstlocal distribution circuit 115 may operate and include those componentsas previously discussed to detect and correct a pathway error. The firstlocal electrical room 125 and first local distribution circuit 115 mayoperate and include those components as previously discussed to detectwhether the pathway characteristic detected is within the targetexpected pathway characteristic range and to make a correction if thepathway characteristic is not within the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range.

If the wires includes multiple pathway sensors, such as two pathwaysensors, all of the pathway sensors for a given wire may be used todetect and correct a pathway error. If the wires include multiplepathway sensors, such as two pathway sensors, all of the pathway sensorsfor a given wire may be used to detect whether a pathway characteristicof the combined sensors is within the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range and to make a correction if the pathwaycharacteristic is not within the target expected pathway characteristicrange. For example, if the first wire 106 includes a first pathwaysensor and a second pathway sensor, the first pathway sensor may detectvoltage and the second pathway sensor may detect current. The voltagedetected and the current detected may be used to determine impedance andthe impedance may be compared to the target expected pathwaycharacteristic range and/or the target operating pathway characteristicrange. The impedance may be considered the pathway characteristic of thewire in this instance.

The electrical pathways 103, 104, 106, 116, 126 may receive power from apower source 215 having a power cable 141. The power source 215 maycomprise any suitable power source, such as but not limited to a powersource transmission and an output circuit. The power source 215 may beexternal to the subsurface formation 101 (i.e., not within thesubsurface formation 101).

The power cable 141 may be external to the subsurface formation 101(i.e., not within the subsurface formation 101). A substantial portionof the power cable 141 may be external to the subsurface formation 101.A portion of the power cable 141 may be within the subsurface formation.

The power cable 141 may comprise power cables. The power cables maycomprise two or more power cables. The amount of power sensors mayinclude a number within and bounded by the preceding range. When thepower cable 141 comprises power cables, the power cables may operatesimilar to the electrical cable 103 and/or the wires 106. 116, 126. Oneof the power cables may transmit power at a time. Two of three wireswithin an electrical cable may transmit power at a time. The detectionand correction of errors may operate similarly to the electrical cable103 and/or the wires 106, 116, 126. The detection and correction ofwhether a pathway characteristic of a given power cable or wire of thepower cable is within a target expected pathway characteristic range mayoperate similarly to the electrical cable 103 and/or the wires 106, 116,126. A second local electrical room 140 instead of the first localelectrical room 125 may be what makes the corrections and detections forthe power cables 141 and/or wires of the power cables.

The power cable 141 connects to a power input feeder circuit 142. Thepower input feeder circuit 142 may comprise any suitable elements, suchas but not limited to a transformer and a circuit breaker. The powerinput feeder circuit 142 may be configured to communicate with the powersource 215 by virtue of the power cable 141 connecting the power inputfeeder circuit 142 to the power source 215. The power input feedercircuit 142 may be configured to feed power from the power source 215 tothe electrical pathways 103, 106, 116, 126. The power input feedercircuit 142 may be so configured because the power input feeder circuit142 may connect to the first local electrical room 125.

The hydrocarbons may be produced from the subsurface formation 101, viaa production wellbore 130, 405 (FIG. 4). The production wellbore 130 mayinterchangeably be referred to as a second wellbore. The productionwellbore 130 may be a different wellbore from the heater wellbore. Theproduction wellbore 130 may be the same wellbore as the heater wellbore.

During a heater operation, power may be transmitted, as previouslydiscussed, via at least one electrical pathway 103, 106, 116, 126 to theelectrical heater 102, 202. As previously discussed, pathwaycharacteristics and pathway errors may be detected, 203 and 204 with apathway characteristic corrected if there is a pathway error 205. Aspreviously discussed, heater characteristics may be detected andcorrected if there is a heater failure. When there is no pathway erroror heater failure, as previously discussed the electrical heater 102 maygenerate heat and transmit the heat to the subsurface formationresulting in an increase in temperature of the reservoir 151 within thesubsurface formation 101 and hydrocarbons contained within. Detectingthe pathway characteristic 203, detecting the pathway error 204 andcorrecting the pathway characteristic 205 may occur between transmittingpower to the electrical heater 102, 202 and generating heat within theelectrical heater 102, 201 (FIG. 3). In other words, detecting thepathway characteristic 203, detecting the pathway error 204 andcorrecting the pathway characteristic 205 may occur after transmittingpower to the electrical heater 102, 202 and before generating heatwithin the electrical heater 102, 201. Detecting the pathwaycharacteristic 203, detecting the pathway error 204 and correcting thepathway characteristic 205 may occur while transmitting power to theelectrical heater 102, 202 and before generating heat within theelectrical heater 201, 202 (FIG. 3).

An increase in formation temperature can result in thermally-inducedchanges occurring within the subsurface formation 404 (FIG. 4). Thethermally-induced changes may include changes in at least one of aphysical property and a chemical property of the rock within thesubsurface formation and hydrocarbon. The at least one physical propertyand chemical property may include but is not limited to decrease inviscosity of fluids contained in the pore spaces of the rock, breakingof chemical bonds within hydrocarbon molecules, thermal fracturing ofrock matrix and decomposition and absorption of constituents from therock matrix into formation fluids. Many of the thermally-induced changesmay result in increased reservoir porosity, increased permeability andimproved fluid mobility. The thermally-induced changes may yield higherproduction rates from the production wellbore 130 than if there were nothermally-induced changes. The thermally-induced changes may yieldgreater ultimate hydrocarbon recovery from the reservoir than if therewere no thermally-induced changes.

It is important to note that the elements and steps depicted in FIGS.1-4 are provided for illustrative purposes only and a particular stepmay not be required to perform the inventive methodologies. The claims,and only the claims, define the inventive system and methodologies.

The method and system may include a mechanism for performing theoperations herein. The mechanism may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable medium. A computer-readable medium includes any mechanism forstoring or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine(e.g., a computer). For example, but not limited to, a computer-readable(e.g., machine-readable) medium includes a machine (e.g., a computer)readable storage medium (e.g., read only memory (“ROM”), random accessmemory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media,flash memory devices, etc.), and a machine (e.g., computer) readabletransmission medium (electrical, optical, acoustical or other form ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.)). The computer-readable medium may non-transitory.

Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in therelevant art, the modules, features, attributes, methodologies, andother aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented as software,hardware, firmware or any combination of the three. Of course, wherevera component of the present disclosure is implemented as software, thecomponent can be implemented as a standalone program, as part of alarger program, as a plurality of separate programs, as a statically ordynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable module, as a devicedriver, and/or in every and any other way known now or in the future tothose of skill in the art of computer programming. Additionally, thepresent disclosure is in no way limited to implementation in anyspecific operating system or environment.

Disclosed aspects may be used in hydrocarbon management activities. Asused herein, “hydrocarbon management” or “managing hydrocarbons”includes hydrocarbon extraction, hydrocarbon production, hydrocarbonexploration, identifying potential hydrocarbon resources, identifyingwell locations, determining well injection and/or extraction rates,identifying reservoir connectivity, acquiring, disposing of and/orabandoning hydrocarbon resources, reviewing prior hydrocarbon managementdecisions, and any other hydrocarbon-related acts or activities. Theterm “hydrocarbon management” is also used for the injection or storageof hydrocarbons or CO₂ (carbon dioxide), for example the sequestrationof CO₂, such as reservoir evaluation, development planning, andreservoir management. The disclosed methodologies and techniques may beused to extract hydrocarbons from a subsurface region. Hydrocarbonextraction may be conducted to remove hydrocarbons from the subsurfaceregion, which may be accomplished by drilling a well using oil drillingequipment. The equipment and techniques used to drill a well and/orextract the hydrocarbons are well known by those skilled in the relevantart. Other hydrocarbon extraction activities and, more generally, otherhydrocarbon management activities, may be performed according to knownprinciples.

It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ,and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the presentdisclosure. It is recognized that features of the disclosure may beincorporated into other examples.

It should be understood that the preceding is merely a detaileddescription of this disclosure and that numerous changes, modifications,and alternatives can be made in accordance with the disclosure herewithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. The precedingdescription, therefore, is not meant to limit the scope of thedisclosure. Rather, the scope of the disclosure is to be determined onlyby the appended claims and their equivalents. It is also contemplatedthat structures and features embodied in the present examples can bealtered, rearranged, substituted, deleted, duplicated, combined, oradded to each other.

1. A system for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation,that minimizes surface disturbance, comprising: an electrical heaterwithin the subsurface formation that heats hydrocarbons within thesubsurface formation; a heater wellbore within the subsurface formation,wherein at least a portion of the heater wellbore has been reclaimed forsurface use; and a heater sensor which is coupled to the electricalheater, wherein the heater sensor in configured to detect a heatercharacteristic.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical heateris within the heater wellbore.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theelectrical heater comprises electrical heaters.
 4. The system of claim3, wherein the electrical heaters are within the heater wellbore.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the heater wellbore comprises a heaterwellbore topmost portion and a heater wellbore bottommost portion,wherein the heater wellbore topmost portion is closer to a surface ofthe subsurface formation than the heater wellbore bottommost portion. 6.The system of claim 5, wherein the heater wellbore topmost portion andthe heater wellbore bottommost portion are completely within thesubsurface formation.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the heaterwellbore is not flush with a surface of the subsurface formation.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a production wellbore that isconfigured to produce hydrocarbons heated by the electrical heater.
 9. Amethod for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation below asurface of the earth, that minimizes surface disturbance, comprising:forming a first heater wellbore within the subsurface formation; placinga first electrical heater within the first heater wellbore; reclaimingat least a portion of the first heater wellbore intersecting the surfaceof the subsurface formation; creating thermally-inducing changes withinthe subsurface formation; and detecting a first heater characteristicwith a first heater sensor which is coupled to the first electricalheater.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein creating thethermally-inducing changes comprises generating heat within thesubsurface formation using the first electrical heater.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein creating the thermally-inducing changes comprisesaltering at least one of a physical property and a chemical property ofthe hydrocarbons within the subsurface formation.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising producing the hydrocarbons after creatingthe thermally-inducing changes.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein theheater characteristic is comprised of one of temperature, voltage,current, electrical resistance and impedance.
 14. The method of claim12, wherein the first heater characteristic is comprised of one oftemperature, voltage, current, electrical resistance and impedance. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising a local electrical room whichis configured to detect deviations in heater performance within thefirst electrical heater based on the first heater characteristic of thefirst electrical heater.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the localelectrical room compares the first heater characteristic detected by thefirst heater sensor to a target operating heater range to determinewhether the first heater characteristic is within the target operatingheater range.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the local electricalroom detects that the first heater characteristic is outside of thetarget operating heater range, and the local electrical roomredistributes power transmitted from the first electrical heater to atleast a second electrical heater.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe second electrical heater is located in a second heater wellborewithin the subsurface formation.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising detecting a second heater characteristic with a second heatersensor which is coupled to the second electrical heater.
 20. The methodof claim 19, wherein the second heater characteristic is comprised ofone of temperature, voltage, current, electrical resistance andimpedance.